It’s an exciting time to be a theme park fan.
Whether you love Disney World, Universal, or both, we can all probably agree that the latest changes on the horizon indicate that the best is yet to come. But, Disney has some steep competition when it comes to new theme parks, which is why 2025 could be a make-or-break year for Disney World.
Disney vs. Universal — it’s a classic debate. No matter what theme park you prefer, one this is certain: exciting updates are on the way for both. But, one update might just be a little more exciting than the other. Yep, we’re talking about Epic Universe, of course!
Universal Orlando’s upcoming third theme park gate is set to open in 2025 and we’ve been waiting on the edges of our seats for every single announcement we can get. And, from what we’ve seen, people are ready to ditch the mouse and move to Epic Universe — at least for a while.
With Epic Universe opening, Disney needs to deliver something big to answer for the potential dip in park attendance if folks head to Universal instead. Of course, it’s not likely that Disney would be able to come up with something quite as big as another theme park altogether, but a new experience could bring needed crowds to the parks.
Of course, that’s not to say Disney World isn’t currently working on new attractions and more. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is opening in Magic Kingdom this summer and on June 10th, the EPCOT Transformation will finally be complete with the opening of CommuniCore Hall & Plaza. Moana: Journey of Water recently opened, and TRON Lightcycle / Run is also still thrilling guests for the first time.
What Disney could whip up between now and then that would be big enough to entice more visitors, though, is anyone’s guess. The new Polynesian Village Resort tower is slated to open later this year, but that might not be the ticket.
We’re also anticipating the opening of the Cake Bake Shop and Bue Ribbon Corn Dogs at the BoardWalk, but again — small potatoes.
One potential quick turnaround project could be doing something with the now-closed Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel. Disney could likely retheme the space and get it ready in time for a 2025 opening. But, it would have to be a seriously popular theme or concept to be a big enough draw.
If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!
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The Most Exciting Changes Coming to Disney World in 2024
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When are you heading to Disney World next? Tell us in the comments.
Disney is falling behind Universal as far as theme parks ( top rides ) go. Disney is more “ magical “, but they need to get it together. Keep raising prices , adding hotel rooms and then dragging their feet on newer entertainment. Makes it less attractive.
Make or break year? What are you talking about? Attendance isn’t high enough? 4 hour lines need to be longer? If attendance at WDW dropped a bit, I would welcome it. What would make me want to go more often isn’t a new ride or a renovated section of one of the parks. What I am looking for is Disney getting back to making sure the Disney way is what draws families. Being able to relax, have fun, and feel like you are the most important people on the planet. And when you are on the plane home you are saying what a great time that was and thinking about when to go again. Instead you are focusing on how crowded it was and what you had to do to have fun. How much work that was. Maybe smaller crowds are just what Disney needs. After all no one spends money at restaurants or shops if they are in a four hour line.